Reviews

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

strayfe_angel's review against another edition

5.0

Read this a long way back - just read it again - just as wonderful as I remember.

beatlestar's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

val_eris's review against another edition

5.0

You ever read a book and recognize that it’s the origin story of like 5 other books you’ve loved? What the fuck. It’s got it all man. A sword that only a woman can wield? Big cat lady energy? Unnecessary horse content? Absolutely no threat of sexual violence? Liquify it and pour it directly into my veins.

dyerra's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

thesnobbyscrutinest's review against another edition

3.0

I understand the love of this book based on the overall story- but I had the absolute hardest time following the writing. The multiple perspectives in a single paragraph and the incredibly long (IMO overdone) prose felt choppy and disorienting. There were several paragraphs that I had to read multiple times and still had no idea what just happened. The more I think about this book the more frustrated I become.

lyssa_winegar's review

adventurous lighthearted relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

i may be overrating this book a little, but i really love it. it's a really good book to curl up and read in the afternoon. it's one my mom read to me as a kid, and that i will probably read to my son when he's older. the only true complaints i have with the book is

that i wish the relationship between corlath and harry was more explicitly romantic earlier in the book, and that the final line of the book is very unsatisfying as a conclusion.

hamrickishere's review against another edition

4.0

McKinley takes their time getting to the big ending the book hints at at every turn, and does well to stick a satisfying ending.

7/10

meshuganush's review

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I really enjoyed the story and the main character. I really struggled with the pacing. It felt as though we were very slowly describing lots of small descriptive details and then suddenly a big plot moment would happen and I wasn't sure how we got there because I somehow missed it.

I thought the author did a great job of giving us a fully fleshed out world for the Hill people. Probably because dune 2 just came out ( haven't seen it yet) but I couldn't help but notice a lot of the parallels between that story and this. A pretty up close look at the effects of colonization, inheritance of family history and choosing your own path.

While I was unsurprised by the romance between Corlath and Harry, it felt a little forced and rushed at the end. I definitely believed in their friendship and respect for each other but felt that there could have been a better build of the romantic feelings. I did love that Harry was able to connect to both sides of herself and really own who she was in the end. I also loved that she really connected with Richard and that she made up with her foster family.  A very good ending!

 

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Content Warnings

Minor: War

sly99's review against another edition

2.0

Writing was horrid

harvestwitch's review against another edition

5.0

This is the fictional folklore that I live for. Girls with swords, warrior riders, strange magic, and sweet romance… loved it. I’ve been hearing praise for Robin McKinley for years now, and I’m sad it has taken me so long to pick one of her books up. (I’ve already picked up three more.) And how I wish there was a series of sequels for this story, but because the ending was 5 stars alone, I guess I’ll have to be content.